A group of seven Girl trekkers led by an unofficial guide, who went missing after entering in the dense forests from Chorla ghat in Goa on Monday, were finally tracked by the Belagavi forest department team in the border of Karnataka near Kankumbi on Tuesday morning.
According to sources, the girl’s team headed by an unofficial guide and their parents had entered the jungles without the permission of forest department. After they did not return in the evening, their colleagues informed Goa police and forest department, which then informed Belagavi forest department. What followed was a combined rescue operation consisting of Belagavi forest department team which entered the jungles from Kanbumbi towards Chorla and Goa forest department team along with their police from Goa border.
The team included 13-year-old Debra Gonsalves, Syeire Fernandes (12), Pearl Fernandes (12) and Swetlana Gomes (12) from Ribander, and Sansha Sampayo (11), Saina Dsouza (12) and Siyana Dsouza from Porvorim. The parents of three of the girls had also accompanied them.
All the trekkers entered the forest range from the Mhadei Research Centre on Monday afternoon, but soon lost their way owing to heavy rain and the lack of light due to the canopy of trees.
Under the guidance of Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) B V Patil, a special team was formed led by Assistant Conservator of Forests C B Patil and Range Forest Officer S S Ningane which commenced the combing operation in forests. The missing trekkers were tracked by the team at about 10 am in the morning.
Trekkers had entered the jungles without availing permission from the forest departments neither of Goa, nor of Karnataka. Patil said that a case has been filed against those trekkers for the same.